High school graduation speaker’s anti-gay rhetoric draws outrage in Ohio community

A high school graduation speaker’s commencement address has been referred to as “completely inappropriate” and “off putting” by members of an Ohio community.

The address came from Jim McGuire at River Valley High School in Caledonia. McGuire is an alumnus of the school, the district said in a statement on May 31.

“Choose a spouse,” McGuire told the graduating seniors. “I also strongly suggest to make sure to choose biblical principles, you know a male with a female and a female with a male.”

McGuire also encouraged graduates of the public high school to spend time “learning God’s word.”

River Valley Local Schools said its administration did not review the speech, informing the community that McGuire “was not speaking as an official representative” of the district.

But it has struck a chord in the small community of Caledonia, about 50 miles north of Columbus. The school district said “some members of our community shared concerns” over the address.

“I thought that I imagined him saying that, I didn’t know that he actually was being for real,” LGBTQ graduate Cassidy Osipow told WEWS. “This can’t actually be real.”

She said she was surprised people were applauding him during his speech, and she refused his handshake when accepting her diploma. Osipow’s stepfather, Tony Fisher, told WEWS that the speaker’s biblical view “was a little off putting for the audience.”

A woman who shared video of what she called a “completely inappropriate” address also condemned McGuire’s words and had a message for the students.

“I’m sorry that this hateful speech overshadowed your amazing achievements and this incredibly special milestone in your lives,” the woman said on Facebook. “I know a lot of you are part of the LGBTQ+ community and I’m sure this man made you feel uncomfortable and unsafe. This is the kind of language that contributes to bullying and violence, and it is completely unacceptable.”

In a statement to NBC News, McGuire said his address “was not anti-anything.”

“There was not a negative word or statement in speech to anyone or organization,” McGuire said. “Being positive is who I am.”

McGuire is a member of the county’s Board of Developmental Disabilities. The board said its “mission is that of inclusion of all people” and it will review McGuire’s board status.

The school district said it will review its policies for future graduation ceremonies.

This story was originally published June 6, 2022 at 11:32 AM with the headline "High school graduation speaker’s anti-gay rhetoric draws outrage in Ohio community."